Hunter or the hunted?
by Sophia24
Summary: Bella is a professional assassin. What happens when she meets Edward Cullen and has to figure out why she is so unwilling to kill him....B/E...AU, OOC, 'M' for murder in the first chapter. possible lemons, or more murder. All human!
1. Another one bites the dust

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight**_

_**Authors note: This story is something completely different to my others. I will continue with them but right I am suffering from writers block and decided to write this. **_

_**It is set in an **__**Alternative Universe**__** and Bella and Edward are **__**Out Of Character**__** during their 'jobs' but I tried to keep in character when they are acting like normal people**_.

_**This story is set in a world where assassin are plentiful and not uncommon, an extremely dangerous place but also a bit like modern time right now…you'll see what I mean later in the story.**_

_**Rated 'm' for violence (Murder)**_

Another one bites the dust

**Bella's POV**

I walked along the darkly lit street, the hood of my black cloak up, hiding my face. I didn't want to risk being seen. I had been in this profession for years and I was not going to allow myself to be discovered now. Not when I was so close to accomplishing this mission.

The tall, dark buildings loomed on either side of the street with a single lamp post flickering continuously on the street corner. I stopped half way down the street, at the entrance to a dark alley way and began my long wait.

I had been watching my victim for a few weeks now and I knew he would be coming down this particular street, walking through the alley and cutting across the large park to get to his house. Routines could be extremely dangerous things.

I pulled back the long sleeve of my coat and glanced at my watch. Any moment now. And right on cue he rounded the street corner, his silhouette illuminated by the flickering street light for a second. In the small glance I got of his face, even at this distance, I knew I had found my target. Perfect.

I pushed myself further into the shadows as he walked at a brisk pace towards the turn off to the alley where I was hiding. I didn't know if he was a good person, if he deserved to die, but I didn't ask those questions to my clients who were paying substantial amounts of money for my…expertees. I did know, though, his name, his age, his address, where he worked, almost every single aspect of his life including the fact that the reason he was coming home so late was because he was stealing important records from his company and selling them for a great deal of money.

I moved my hand slowly to the belt around my waist and the knife that was in the holster attached to it, touching the hilt lightly as I prepared to finish my job. The man walked past me, barely looking in my direction as his blond/brown hair stood out from the inky blackness of the night.

He continued on his walk down the alley, glancing around him occasionally while I darted into the shadows to avoid being seen. I was going for the element of surprise; it would be better if he didn't scream. Then I would have until morning at least to make my escape. Personally, I had never liked surprises and he certainly wouldn't like the one I had in store for him.

I followed behind him, keeping close, and pulled the knife out of its sheaf as quietly as possible, barely making any sound at all. I was especially good at what I did because of my stealth and speed. As well as my ability to blend in easily, being unsuspected, probably because of my natural innocence. The strange thing was; I could be a lethal killer at night but during the day I was extremely clumsy and almost ordinary.

I sped up my pace but made sure that my footsteps were soft and light, giving no indication to my victim that he was about to meet his end. I closed the distance between us quickly and lifted the black when I was close to him, the little light there was glinting of the silver blade.

I grabbed handful of his blond/brown hair, stopping him abruptly and tugging his head back, exposing his neck to the blade of my knife. Before he even had a chance to cry out a pulled the blade across his throat swiftly, releasing him from my grin and letting his limp body drop to the ground.

I made sure to hold my breath and turned my head away from the blood that was now pooling out around him. The sight and smell of blood caused me to faint and that would be the worst thing I could do in my present situation. Fainting and then waking up to being surrounded by police with the murder weapon in my hand? No. I wasn't that stupid. You may ask why someone like me, sensitive to the sight and smell of blood, ordinary life, ordinary job, would choose to have this profession by night. But I have my reasons. Ones that I never want to think about again. That time in my life had been so dark that I'm afraid I will loose myself in it if I think back to it.

I cast a brief glance in his direction; the life that once was is no longer, his blond/brown hair beginning to stain red with blood and his clear blue eyes staring lifelessly in front of him.

I wiped the blood of the blade of my knife and replaced it back in the holster on my belt. I bit back the guilt that surged to the surface every time I completed a job, thinking back to the reason I took this profession. Revenge. This was practice for me for when I got revenge on one of the most skilled assassin's of all. But for now, this would suffice. Killing nobody's for good money.

I turned on my heal, walking swiftly away from the body with a small smile on my face as I imagined the satisfaction I would have one day, when I finally managed to find that assassin. The one who had caused me such pain long ago. Killing that man just brought me one step closer to my goal. Goodbye Mike Newton, hello revenge.

I walked casually back down the street Mike, my victim had been walking just moments before and blended into the darkness, seeming to disappear completely.

_**A/N: ta-da! '**__**Tis groovy! I'll probably write the second chapter now…I'm on a roll!**_


	2. Mild mannered Alter ego

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight**_

_**Authors note: this story kind of reminds me of superman which is why I chose this title…yeah, I know, strange…**_

Mild-mannered Alter-ego

"Excuse me. Excuse me, coming through, pardon me. Excuse me, thank you." I muttered repeatedly as I made my way through the busy crowds on my way to work. Even though my work was well over half an hour walk away I still preferred walking to driving. Probably because of my suspicious nature which comes with being an assassin, unwilling to get caught or seen.

I shoved my way through a couple more people to get to the small corner shop where I went occasionally to get a quick breakfast and a news paper. I never went to the same place two days in a row, slightly paranoid that I would get into a routine which I new better than anyone was extremely dangerous. Many times I have used them to my advantage. If you get into a routine and other people watch you then they will know where you will be at a particular time of day, everyday. Like I said, they are dangerous things.

I fixed the strap on my shoulder bag as it had been slipping gradually off my shoulder as I fought my way through the busy streets and walked the door of the shop, a bell ringing to alert my presence. My eyes scanned the news paper and magazine front covers and one of them caught my eye. I had made the front page, again. And this time it was the magazine I worked for; I was in charge of the layout of the magazine and I also wrote the occasional article for it but I had taken a break from work for the past week. My editor had said I had been working too hard so I got my holiday leave.

I picked up the magazine and flicked through it to the write page, scanning the article quickly;

**Angel of Death Strikes Again**

**The assassin we have all come to call '****The angel of death' has struck once more. The victim, Mike Newton aged 28, was found in the small hours of this morning. All circumstances point to 'the angel of death' being the main suspect; the victim's throat cut, no actual evidence and the murder occurred at night with no witnesses to the crime. **

**This particular assassin had evaded authorities for years and police are no closer to catching them than they were eight years ago. 'The angel of death' is currently one of the most skilled and feared assassins in our community, leaving no indication of who it may be in all the years of being in this career. **

**The only other assassin in history that has become as well know was 'The tracker' who stalked his victims without secrecy, being witnessed many times shortly after a murder had taken place but is still, to this day, at large. **

I closed the magazine at that moment, no longer wanting to read that article and angered that I should be mentioned on the same page, in the same magazine, as him, 'The Tracker'. He was the very man whom I had been searching for to extract my revenge. He was almost impossible to find, even with his many sightings, and I should know because I had hunted him for over tens years.

I put the magazine on the counter, ordered a cup of coffee and paid for them as well as a cereal bar for my quick breakfast. I shoved the magazine into my shoulder bag to have a look at later which would probably end in me ranting about it but that was inevitable.

'The angel of death' is what people call me, well, not me Bella Swan but me Marie Black. The name I had chosen to use when I first became an assassin. It made things less complicated, that way my 'normal' life would be safe if someone found out my assassin name. And it would also protect the few people I was close to.

I stepped back out into the busy street and began fighting my way to the building where I worked. Just as I was approaching the main doors I began checking my bag to make sure I had the notes that I needed today, unsure if I had picked them up on my way out my house.

My clumsy nature decided to kick in right then and I walked straight into something hard and warm, stumbling backwards and dropping my bag as it spewed its contents all over the ground outside the doors the building I was heading to. Strong arms grasped my upper arms just before I joined my bag and its contents on the floor, helping me regain my balance.

I lifted my head to find myself staring into a pair of bright green eyes only inches away from my brown ones. I sucked in a deep breath and held it as I stared at the god-like man in front of me. Usually I was extremely wary of everyone, with robbery and murder a frequent occurrence it was essential even if I was one of the ones committing the murders, but with him I felt more relaxed than I had in years. I felt my tense muscles relaxing immediately under his touch before he released me from his hold.

I tore my gaze away from his to the mess that was the contents of my bag, a blush heating up my cheeks as I realised how long I had actually been staring at him. I dropped to the floor and began quickly gathering up my things; hopefully I wouldn't be stood on by anybody walking past. I glanced to my side quickly and noticed the man who caught me was helping me collect the contents of my bag. Thank god it wasn't my time of month or he would have had a rather unexpected surprise.

I grabbed my bag and stood up, almost banging my head with the god in front of me just narrowly missing his head. I stuffed all my junk into my bag and looked around me. I was sure I had been carrying something else before I almost fell. Then I spotted my coffee cup laying empty about six feet from where I was standing with the coffee in a puddle around it. Great.

I sighed, annoyed at the stupid coffee cup that decided to spill everywhere (even if it was my fault). "Forgetting something?" A velvety voice broke through my mourning of my coffee and I looked back at the god beside me, a pile of my notes in his hand as he held it out towards me.

"Oh, right. Thanks." I mumbled as I took them from his outstretched hand and put them back in my bag. "Em, and thanks for catching me earlier." I dropped my eyes as I felt my cheeks heat up once more.

He chuckled slightly and it was like music to my ears. "No problem." I looked back up at him and saw him smiling softly down at him, his auburn hair falling into his eyes. "I'm Edward, Edward Cullen." He said, holding his hand out for me to take.

"Bella Swan." I replied, taking his hand and returning his smile with one of my own. He surprised me by lifting my hand and placing a soft his to my knuckles. Once again I blushed, big surprise there.

We stayed like that for a few moments, it may have been longer but I wasn't sure of the time as I stared into his sparkling green eyes. With a jolt I realised I had felt this way before, once before years ago. And with that realisation came the pain of what had happened twelve years ago.

I tugged my hand free and turned away as tears began to pool in my eyes. I bit my lips and closed the lid on those emotions that flooded to the surface. I rarely reflected on my pain from that time, normally using anger to fuel my actions when I think of it. That's how I managed to keep in my nightly profession for so long.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked, concern lacing his voice.

I took in a deep breath and blinked back my tears, turning my head to smile at Edward. "I'm fine." I assured him. "Oh, crap, I'm late for work. Sorry, I have to go now." I said quickly.

"Me too, actually. Where do you work?" He asked and I pointed to the building we were standing beside. He turned his head in that direction and a smile soon spread across his face. "Me too." He said again.

I frowned slightly in confusion and looked back at him. "I've never seen you here before." I said as my eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

"I started work here last week." He said, obviously ignoring my suspicion. Oh, so that explains it then. The one week I'm off this sexy god-like guy gets hired. I'm always the last person to know about these things. "Can I walk you to work?" Edward asked, trying to suppress a smirk and I rolled my eyes at him but walked towards the building with him.

We walked through the doors and I greeted the various people who were arriving and littering the foyer. I pressed the button on the lift and we bother went in, pressing the buttons for the different floors. I glanced at the number he had pressed then noticed for the first time the equipment he had in his hand.

I looked up at him and raised my eyebrows. "Photographer?" I questioned him, recognising the camera case he held.

He nodded his head, "How did you guess?" He grinned and I laughed lightly. "What about you?"

"I design the layout and sometimes write articles." I shrugged.

"Then why are you getting of on floor six? Isn't that where the fashion part of the magazine is made?"

"Yeah, it is. I'm just going to see my friend on that floor because I need to see how much space her article will need." I explained.

The doors opened when we reached the sixth floor and I stepped out, only to be attacked by Alice. "Bella, you're here! Finally!" She said excitedly, even though I was no more than five minutes late. I gave Edward a small smile and a wave as the lift doors closed, blocking him from my sight.

"Come on, Bella. I've got most stuff ready but I need your opinion on something." She said and grabbed my hand, tugging me towards her office.

---

At seven O'clock I began packing up my things, turned off my computer and made my way out of the building. The building was almost completely deserted by now, just a few people still here working as most people left at five on the dot.

I walked the half hour walk back to my house, the darkness oddly comforting to me. When I reached the door I put my keys in the lock and walked in, shutting the door behind me. "Rose, I'm back. You here?" I called into the house as I walked towards the kitchen.

I had known Rose for thirteen years, since I was fifteen. She was eighteen at the time and had already killed someone by then. A few years after I met her she had told me that a boy, Royce, who she was madly in love with although she had only spoken to him a few times, had beaten her and raped her along with his friends, then left her in the street to die. She had been found by a passer by, just inches from death, and taken to the nearest hospital. When she had recovered she went in search of Royce and the other men that did that to her. Rose was well known for her fiery nature and well, let's just say; when she gets mad she really gets even.

She killed off Royce's friends one by one, leaving him for last and she had never been suspected for those crimes. With her outstanding beauty and perfect figure, not to mention her acting skills, she was never thought to have done anything as horrible as that. After she had told me her story I really did believe in the saying 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'

Since then she had become a professional assassin like me but unlike me, she tricked her victims with her obvious beauty before killing them. And her victims were always men, now having an intense hatred for them after what happened to her. She had taught me everything I know and I was grateful to her for that. With that knowledge I would someday be able to get my revenge.

"In here, Bella." She called just as I entered the kitchen and there she was sitting at the kitchen table, watching the portable TV in front of her. She glanced up at me and smiled then returned her eyes to the TV.

I pulled the magazine out of my bag and slid it across the table towards her. "I made the front page again." I said as I leaned over the table and took a pear out of the fruit bowl before I started munching on it.

That got her attention. She looked away from the television and pulled the magazine towards her flipping through the pages until she found the right one. She read through it quickly then put it down on the table. "Another job well done, Bella." She grinned at me, avoiding what had been bothering me most about that article.

"Yes but they didn't have to mention _him_, did they?" I said viciously as I glared at the article on the table in front of me.

"Bella, I think you need to forget and move on." She said gently and I turned my glare to her. What was she thinking saying that?

"Well you certainly didn't." I pointed out, my annoyance clear in my voice. She turned her head away from me and I felt a pang of guilt for bringing that up. We were both silent for what seemed like hours and I managed to calm down. It was Rose's fault for what happened to me so I shouldn't take my anger out on her. I took in a deep calming breath and decided to fill the awkward silence. "So, what's up with Lewis?" I asked. He was her most recent boyfriend and she had been dating him for about three months.

She turned towards me with a bitter smile on her face. _This cannot be good_. "He's down. Six feet under to be precise."

"Rose!" I stared at her wide-eyed. "You didn't?"

"I did. And he deserved it the cheating, arrogant, cute bastard that he was." She said angrily, her eyes alight with a fiery rage that I had only seen a few times before.

"What happened?" I asked consolingly and stood up to stand closer to her.

"He was cheating on me! Me! With three other woman, that arsehole!" She screeched, throwing her hand up in the air. "I found out about them after following him for a bit. Don't look at me like that, Bella, he was acting a bit fishy for weeks. Anyway, we all confronted him. The slapped him one by one and left, leaving me alone with him. Then that fucking idiot had the nerve to smirk at me! Then asked 'are you going to bitch-slap me too babe?' I just lost it then. He barely had time to think about what was happening before the knife hit him." Her bitter smile widened and the satisfaction was clear in her voice.

A moment later and her bitter smile was replaced with a genuine one full of happiness and renewed hope. "But I met someone at the gym today. Boy, was he sexy. He had dark curly brown hair and dimples. Dimples, Bella!" She said excitedly. I'm not sure why but she had always had a thing for guys with dimples.

"Rose, you wont get rid of him like you did the past…four guys you've gone out with?" I asked doubtfully.

"No, Bella. Definitely not. He's different from them, everything I've ever wanted in a man and more. He sweet, kind, has a great sense of humour and, my god, you should have seen the muscles on that one." She said dreamily, resting her head in her hand.

I smiled and pulled her into a hug, I had never seen her like this happy in all the years I've known her. "Congrats, Rose. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were in love." I teased and a blush spread across her cheeks, confirming my suspicion.

She cleared her throat and shook her head slightly. "Enough about me how was your day?" She asked, affectively changing the subject.

"It was ok. Alice is coming over later." I informed her.

"That's great! When? I might not be here when she comes. I have a date with Emmett, the guy from the gym." She said excitedly then looked at me thoughtfully. "Have you told her yet? About what we are?"

"Rose, don't be ridiculous." I sighed and she raised her eyebrows at me but dropped the subject.

"What else happened today, Bella?" She asked and I feigned innocence, or attempted to at least. "You know you can't fool me so stop trying. Who did you meet and what did he look like?" She asked, smiling knowingly.

I sighed, there was really no point in trying to fool Rose, and I had known her too long for that. "His name is Edward. He's tall with green eyes and auburn hair and…he's extremely good looking. I walked into him and he helped me pick up the things I had managed to throw on the ground in the process." I said with a smile on my face.

"Ooooh, Bella's in love." Rose sang and grinned at me.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are. When are you going to meet him?"

"I work with him so probably tomorrow." I shrugged although I knew that's not what she meant.

"Bella, you know what I mean; when are you going out with him?" She persisted and ignored my reluctance on the subject.

"Never. I'm not going out with him unless its work related." I said firmly. "If somebody finds out about me and what I do I don't want him to get hurt because of me. It makes sense; if someone wanted to get to me they would hurt the things I love—I mean, like the most." I corrected myself although; by the gleam in Rose's eye I knew she had spotted my mistake. "You and Alice are the only important ones to me now. I know you can take care of yourself and Alice has Jasper to protect her. He was in the army and would be able to protect her very easily." I reasoned with her. I already knew I liked Edward more than I should and that was dangerous; for me and for him.

"Bella, my dear, you're in denial." She put her hand up when I opened my mouth to speak, silencing me. "You have never been able to resist temptation and the way you described this Edward indicates that is one hell of a lot of temptation right in front of you everyday at work. If I know you, which I do, you'll be screwing him by the end of the week." She said with a smirk while I gaped at her.

"Rose!" I whined. I wasn't sure if I was most annoyed that she thought I had that little self control or that fact that I knew, deep down, she was right. I already knew I liked him, a lot, and that was after only one day of knowing him.

I picked up my bag from the floor where I had dropped it and sulked off to my room. "I'm going to go Google him now." I said matter-of-factly as I left the room, nodding curtly in Rose's direction. Right now, I was annoyed at myself for how hard I had fallen for Edward than at her.

I went into my bedroom, dumped my bag on the floor at the bottom of my bed and slumped down on my computer chair, turning the computer on as I did so. When it was on I began my search of Edward's background, looking through everything that came up in the search with a slight frown on my face.

"Rose!" I called to her and I heard her shout 'yeah, coming!' from somewhere in the house. "Look at this." I glanced at her over my shoulder as she stared at the computer screen. I scrolled down so she could see everything the search revealed. "There's no history, absolutely nothing about him until he was sixteen." I muttered and looked at her expression. "That's a bit suspicious, don't you think? I can't find anything else on 'Edward Cullen'. He could be some sort of psycho for all I know."

"Bella," Rose said patronisingly. "You kill people for a living and you call him a psycho?" She raised an eyebrow at me but I ignored her.

"Rose, be serious. There is absolutely nothing about him before he was sixteen. No birth certificate, no parents' details, nothing. Absolutely nothing." I said, frowning at the screen as I checked it again and again in case there was something I had missed.

"So what? Someone could have cleared his records." She said.

"Or created them." I murmured under my breath. It wasn't unheard of for someone to create a new identity for themselves but why had he done that? That's what I wanted to know.

A knock on the door broke both of us from our thoughts and I turned the computer off as Rose went to answer the door. I came out into the hall a few moments later and saw Alice stepping into our house with her usual bright smile on her face.

"Sorry Alice but I have to go now. I have a date with the man of my dreams and I won't miss it for anything." Rose grinned at Alice, hugged her and disappeared out the front door with a quick goodbye to me.

"Hey, Bella! So, movie night?" Alice asked and made her way into my living room without waiting for an answer. I silently thanked the heavens for her not forcing me to have one of her makeovers. Movie night was so much better.

As Alice chose the movie and I got the food ready there was a comfortable silence between us and I hummed to myself as I made the popcorn. I walked back into the living room with the bowl of popcorn in one arm and two bottles of coca-cola in the other to see Alice lounging on one sofa with the movie ready to be played. I put the coke and popcorn on the table between us and looked expectantly at Alice who was looking at me thoughtfully.

"Bella…" She started, hesitating slightly. "I know what you are." She said softly.

I tried to control my expression and attempted to look innocent, hopefully I would be able to fool Alice better than I could Rose. "Know that I am what?" I asked, and smiled internally when I heard the confusion in my voice.

"There's no point playing games, Bella. I know about your night time activities." She said, completely unconvinced by my act. Alice always new these things and it made me wonder how. She had a talent for guessing things in the future and was always right.

"Alice, the only "night time activities" going on around here are between you and Jasper." I said, using my finger to add the inverted commas and smirked at her.

"Whatever, Bella. I know what you are so there's no point denying it. Just…be careful. I saw something in a dream."

"What? What did you see?" The way she had spoken unnerved me. Her dreams always came true, especially when she remembered then so she usually had déjà vu most of the time.

"You walking down a dark street, dressed in black, following someone and then there was another figure following you." She said and I frowned as I thought about it. How could there be someone following me when I always made sure that no one was around when I was doing a job.

I didn't question her further and she turned the film on as I watched the entire thing distractedly. I knew I had a victim I needed to find tonight after Alice left but I wasn't sure if this was what she was talking about or it was sometime in the future. Either way, I was determined that no one would be following me.

_**A/N: ok, I made Rose an assassin as well because I couldn't imagine Alice as one, well actually, I can…dangerous little pixie, but I couldn't think of a good enough reason for her to become one in the first place….I actually think this is the longest chapter I've written so I hope you enjoy it!**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	3. What does it feel like to be the prey?

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight**_

_**Authors note: Next chapter! Yay!**_

_**There has been a slight confusion over this but absolutely none of these characters are related, ok? Sorry for any confusion.**_

What does it feel like to be the prey?

Alice had finally left half an hour ago and I was glad. It wasn't that I didn't like her; she was my best friend after all. It's just that I needed to get this job done tonight and I had to find my victim soon. I knew he would likely be at a bar right now and be leaving very soon so I had to hurry if I wanted to catch him in time.

I also felt Alice saw too much. She could read people extremely easily as well as having her creepy dream-visions so I was worried about her finding out more about me than I would like her to.

I tied my hair up into a pony tail before leaving the bathroom and picked my black cloak up on my way out the door. I wore a dark t-shirt, dark trousers and black boots that went just below my knees. As always I had my belt around my waist, only holding the one knife I would need tonight but it had enough space for another four at most, as well as a spare knife tucked into a holster on the side of my boot, just in case.

I grabbed my bag and stuffed my cloak in it, not wanting to be seen dressed ready-to-kill by my neighbours. I walked out the house and made sure to lock the door properly behind me, putting the keys in the small bag I was carrying.

I made my way down the dark street, my heelless boots silent on the wet pavement (it had been raining about an hour ago). I sped up my pace as I rounded the corner of the street, pulling my cloak out and slipping my arms through the sleeves before lifting the hood which hid my face completely in shadow.

I clipped the small bag onto my belt and headed in the direction I knew my quarry would soon be. I made my way quietly to a dark deserted street, lined with walls on both sides, and stopped in the shadows. I glanced around me, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling at the feeling of being watched. I couldn't see anything; no movement, no sound, in the dark street.

The silence was broken by my victim stumbling drunkenly into the street I was waiting in, muttering to himself as he swayed from side to side and walking towards my hiding space.

As soon as he passed my hiding space I stepped quickly out of the shadows, one hand covering his mouth while the other pulled my blade from its holster and slashed across his throat in one swift movement. I did all this in just a few seconds, quick and deadly. He fell onto his knees then forward so he was lying flat on the ground. I walked away from the lifeless body, cleaning my knife off as I went and slipped it back to the holster at my side.

I had been just on time, any later with Alice and I would have missed him. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I walked. I had been following this man for only a week and had been commissioned to get rid of him by tonight. The nature of the phone call I had received for me to kill him had been strange. I wasn't sure what it was about it but it had made me feel uneasy. I had dug into the victim's background and there was nothing obvious that would make someone want him dead so it gave me an uneasy feeling. That maybe, just maybe, I had been set up.

I pushed that thought to the back of my mind as I continued down the same dark street and glanced over my shoulder when I felt eyes on me once more. Maybe I was just being paranoid. It had been a long day and night so I was probably just because I was tired as well as being anxious of what Alice had told me earlier, about being followed, that I was imagining things.

I turned my head back in the direction I was walking and heard a footstep behind me, just one, as if someone had been trying to keep silent but had scuffed their shoe along the ground by accident. I deliberately ignored it. If I had been right and there was someone after me it would be better if I caught them by surprise.

I walked a few more steps along the street and heard the slight swishing sound of a knife being unsheathed close behind me. Too close. I whipped round; my cloak billowing out around me with my arm outstretched and knocked the knife out of the hand of the figure now in front of me, before they had time to register it.

The sound of the knife clattering across the ground echoed through the silent street and the dark figure reached to their side, attempting to pull out another knife, I assumed. Even in the dark light I thought the figure was male, the height and build indicated that. So, without giving him enough time to unsheathe the knife I kicked him. Hard. Right between his legs and he crumpled, doubling over.

He groaned slightly in pain and lunged for me. I had to admire him for that; even through the pain he still had the ability to attempt to fight me. Too bad his attempt would be futile. I spun out of the way of his hand, finding myself standing behind him and kicked the backs of his knees, causing him to land on the ground, his knees hitting the concrete floor under his weight causing him to gasp in pain.

I didn't allow him any time to recover and jutted my elbow out between his shoulder blades, knocking him onto his front, laying face down on the ground. I straddled his back, pinning one arm to his side with my leg and twisting his other arm up his back at a painful angle. His breathing was becoming laboured by the pain I was causing him but this position prevented him from moving and then killing me.

I leaned forward, my mouth close to his ear and began speaking, my voice low and deadly. "Who are you? Who are you after?" I demanded. I doubted he would willingly answer the first question but I wanted to make sure whether he was after the Bella Swan me or the Marie Black me.

"You. I was sent for you." He forced out through clenched teeth, irritating me at so obvious an answer, and I applied a little more pressure on his arm, causing him to groan in pain. "Marie Black. 'The angel of death'." He clarified.

I inwardly sighed. He didn't know I was Bella Swan. He wouldn't try to hurt Alice or Rose. They were safe for now.

"Who sent you?" I hissed at him, my voice completely unrecognisable from what it usually is. He remained silence and I shook him slightly which caused his breathing to become gasping as he fought the urge to cry out at the pain I was forcing him to endure. "I said; who sent you?"

He groaned once more before speaking. "'The Tracker.'" He forced out. As soon as I heard those words, anger flared within me. The hatred for that man rushing to the surface and being directed towards the man pinned underneath me.

I pulled the knife from the sheath in my boot, it being easier to reach than the one at my waist right at this moment in time. I had to kill this man. If not, he may find out that my real name is Bella Swan and attack the ones dearest to me. No matter how sure I was that Rose could take care of herself and Alice would be well looked after by Jasper there would always be a time when they could be caught be surprise, completely unaware.

Alice had been right about me being followed earlier. I would have to thank her for that later. It was because of her words that I had been listening carefully enough to hear this man following me.

I let go of his arm and grabbed a fist full of his hair, tilting his head back towards me while I placed my blade just under his Adams apple. I froze when the small amount of light there was lit his face and my breath caught in my throat as I stared in shock at the bright green eyes that glared defiantly back at me. Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen was the one that had been following me. Edward Cullen was the one that had been trying to kill me.

I was more thankful than ever for my hood which completely hid my face from him. The last thing I wanted was for him to know who I was and what I did. I continued to gaze into his eyes, reading the emotions; anger, fury, annoyance (no doubt about the fact that I had put him in such a vulnerable position so quickly), pain and defiance but no fear. None.

He must have sensed my hesitation and slowly moved his arms so his hands were palm down on the ground, ready to push himself onto his knees and throw me off him. Realising what he was doing I jumped into action, pulling my blade away from him and slamming him head onto the concrete ground, just hard enough to knock him out but not to cause permanent damage.

His body fell limp beneath me and I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. For some reason, some incredibly annoying reason, I found I couldn't force myself to kill him like I would normally if my life was threatened.

When I met him earlier today, or yesterday as it now was, he must have been planning this. He had lied to me. In all honestly, I had lied to him to so I couldn't judge him on that. But the thought that I had felt such strong emotions for him earlier and he had almost killed me just now made no difference to me. I couldn't kill him. I knew that. I cared for him too much already to harm him any more than I had. If I had known it was him to begin with I wouldn't have put him through as much pain as I had. At least now, I had an explanation as to why his records were so suspicious. He must have had new records made for him when he chose his life as an assassin.

I climbed off him and began pacing beside him. What could I do? I couldn't kill him but how could I stop him coming after me? I couldn't, that was the answer. But I might be able to find out more about his association with 'The Tracker' if I gained his confidence. It was unlikely but it was worth a try.

I stopped my pacing abruptly at this thought and walked back over to Edward, bending down beside him and turning him over onto his back, careful to keep a reasonable distance just in case he wakes up. I looked around in the darkness for his knife, not wanting to give him the chance to use it should he awaken and take me by surprise. I saw the glinting handle a few feet away from where he now lay and walked over to it, picking it up and sliding it into a space in my belt beside my other knife. Part of me was trying to convince myself it was because I was trying to unarm him but another part was that it was to get closer to him. This knife was most likely valuable, sentimentally not just materially, to him and it made me feel connected to him in a way, just having it close to me.

I shook the thoughts out of my head and went back over to Edward who was still lying unconscious on the ground. Remembering that he had reached inside his jacket just after I had knocked the first knife from his hand, I zipped his jacket open and pulled the sides wide apart, gasping at the sight before me. Underneath his jacket was a black leather holster strapped to his chest, holding no less than a dozen throwing knives as well as a couple other ones designed for actual fighting like the one I carried.

My widened eyes scanned his chest and the knives attached to him. There really wasn't any point taking the one knife that I had if he had this many as well but that didn't make me put it back.

I reached up and brushed the bronze locks off his forehead, my finger tips lightly tracing the reddened graze on his forehead I had given him when I knocked him out. That would be bruised soon.

My fingers moved down his face, tracing his cheek, and to his neck where there was a small drop of blood trickling down his neck where the knife I had held to his throat must have dug in. I put my fingers to the side of his throat, feeling his pulse and its steady beat reassured me that he would be ok. A bit bruised and sore after messing with me but fine none-the-less.

I glanced up at his face once more, a frown still creasing my forehead and noticed his eyes flickering slightly as he began regaining consciousness. I took that as my cue to leave, standing up swiftly and walking quickly down the street. I looked back over my shoulder as I rounded the corner to see him sitting up, staring after me with a determined and slightly confused look on his face. Probably because he was still alive, that I hadn't killed him yet.

At that sight I began running speedily down the streets and alleyways, darting left and right at the last minute through small passages as I heard the steady pounding of feet racing after me. My heart was pounding in my ears and I knew I needed to get further away from him. Although I may now have a slight advantage because he would be suffering from the pain, I had caused, with each step of his run, he still had his throwing knives so I desperately needed to get out of range.

I turned a sharp left through a narrow alley then right and left again, trying to loose him. I kept running until I no longer heard his footsteps behind me and kept up my steady run towards my house. Just before I reached the street turn in I unclipped my bag, took my cloak off and shoved it in the bag.

I tried to walk as casually and as quickly as possible towards the front door of my house as I tried to steady my breathing to avoid suspicion. I quickly jogged up the steps towards the front door of my house but froze two steps from the top when I heard a voice behind me.

"Hello, Bella." The velvety voice of Edward Cullen reached my ears and I turned around quickly, very nearly loosing my balance on the step I was standing on. How was it than whenever I was no longer hunting a victim and turned back into Bella Swan I was continuously clumsy? Especially when I was around Edward?

"H—Hello, Edward." I stuttered and glanced around me nervously. Did he follow me here? Did he now know what I did?

He chuckled and a crooked smile spread across his face. "Don't worry, Bella. I'm not here to hurt you." Was it me or was there a slight emphasis on the word 'you'? I breathed out a sigh of relief; he didn't know. Or at least, he pretended he didn't know.

"R—right." I stuttered again, my nerves still on edge about the fact that he had tried, unknowingly, to kill me just moments before. He stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the street lamp right then and I looked upon his appearance properly for the first time. There was now a slight bump on his forehead which was turning slightly purple already and was barely hidden but a few strands of his hair that fell onto his forehead. The knees of his black trousers were torn from where he fell on the rough ground and the front of his clothes were damp from lying on the ground as well as specks of dirt littering his jacket which was now zipped up.

I realised that he would think that I didn't know about how he came to be in this state so I put on my most shocked expression when I saw him, hopefully I would be able to fool him better than I had Rose and Alice. "Edward, what happened to you?" I widened my eyes slightly.

He looked down at his front, seemingly realising for the first time what he looked like and a light blush splashed across his cheeks as he looked back up at me. "I, uh, fell." He hesitated but I decided not to question him, it might turn out wrong and give him reason to be suspicious of me.

"Why are you here?" I asked, hopefully he would take it as a hint to go away so I could make it into the safety of my house. Although, technically, no where is ever safe because it's pretty easy to break into my house. I had had to do that on more than one occasion when I had forgotten my key; the lock was very easily picked.

"I was just going for a walk. I'm a bit of an insomniac." He said admitted shyly. This, compared to his lie before seemed to be a lot more truthful by how easily he had said it. "Well, goodnight Bella." He smiled at me, turned and walked away, being consumed by shadows.

"Goodnight, Edward." I said quietly into the night and ran up the last two steps, unlocking the front door and shutting it firmly behind me with my back pressed against it. That was close. Not only close to my death but also close to Edward finding out who I was. I let out a sigh of relief and pushed myself away from the door.

"Rosie, where are you—" I looked up the stairs at the sound of the deep, male voice. I jumped and let out a small scream before quickly covering my eyes, shielding them from the sight before me. At the top of the stair case was a very muscled, very naked man with dark curly hair and dimples who I assumed must be the man Rose had been going on about, Emmett. "Oh, sorry." I heard him call before I walked quickly into the kitchen, shielding my eyes from him and keeping my head down as I went.

It was just one surprise after another in my life wasn't it? I stepped into the kitchen to see Rose getting a bowl of strawberries and a can of whipped cream out the fridge. I really didn't want to know but, unfortunately, with the naked guy upstairs, little was left to the imagination of what was about to happen between them.

"Rose, you could warn me next time before I get an eyeful of some naked man you brought home." I said as I dropped myself down on a chair at the table, my legs collapsing with exhaustion. My running was finally catching up with me and my leg muscles were beginning to ache.

Rose just ignored my comment and tightened her silk bath robe around her as she turned to me. "Have a successful night?" She asked but a small frown fell upon her face as she took in my appearance as I brushed a few strands of hair of my sweat soaked face and tucked them behind my ear.

"Brilliant. Apart from the fact that someone tried to kill me; I'm just peachy." I grumbled and rubbed my hands across my face.

"What?!" She gasped. "Who?!"

I dropped my hands and looked up at her. "Edward Cullen. Didn't I tell you he could be some sort of psycho? Maybe you should listen to me next time. Not everything that comes out my mouth is nonsense." I muttered as I raised my eyebrows at her. Her jaw dropped at what I said and her mouth was now opening and closing in a way that reminded me of a fish.

"Why?" She managed to choke out in her shocked state.

"He was actually after Marie Black so at least I know he doesn't know about my 'normal life'." I sighed and she gestured to me for further explanation. "Well, after I finished off my 'job' I felt like I was being followed and apparently I was. I heard him behind me, knocked the knife out of his hand and wrestled him to the ground. With a bit of persuasion he said he was after Marie Black…" I trailed off and took in a deep breath. "…and that he was sent by 'The Tracker'." I mumbled angrily. "I knocked him. I don't know why but I couldn't kill him, Rose, I just couldn't. When he was regaining consciousness I ran. I came back here when I thought I wasn't being followed anymore but he was right outside. I don't think he knows that it was me because, well, I'm still alive aren't I?" I groaned and put my head down on the table.

"Wow." Was all Rose had to say.

"Yes, thanks Rose. That's very helpful advice." I muttered sarcastically. I pushed myself off the table and looked up at her with a small smile. "I'm fine. You go have fun with that man you have upstairs." She grinned at me and gathered up her 'supplies' before exiting the kitchen.

I walked through the house to my bedroom, glad it was on the bottom floor on the opposite side of the house from Rose's bedroom. And the walls were pretty thick as well so hopefully I would be spared for some noises that I really don't want to hear.

I tossed my bag onto my bed and began to strip out of my clothes to get ready for bed. I unclasped my belt and looked down at it when a glint of light caught my eye. It was the knife I had taken from Edward. I pulled it out slowly and studied it carefully. It had a long silver blade, perfectly balanced, and a silver handle which was decorated in an intricate patter by bright green emeralds of different shapes and sizes.

I held the blade up into the light and noticed fine engraving in an intricate script on it. I tilted the knife slightly and read;

_**To our son on his tenth birthday,**_

_**Always remember, that whatever happens, we will always be there for you,**_

_**Your loving parents**_

Shit. I had stolen a gift that had been given to him by his parents. No wonder he kept it close on his person. Well, at least now I knew that I was right; it was important to him. I placed the blade carefully in a small padlocked wooden box under my bed to keep it safe and finished changing for bed.

First thing tomorrow, I was going to find out more about this 'Edward Cullen' and damn the consequences.

_**A/N: Thanks for reading!**_

_**I hope you all enjoyed that…personally it's my favourite chapter. But let me know what you think about it!**_


	4. The unexpected

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight**_

_**Authors note: thanks to everyone who reviewed and a special thanks to **__**AMELIA CULLEN LUVS DA'S**__** who helped with the name of this chapter!**_

The unexpected

_I slowly, cautiously approached the front door to my house which stood ajar. Something wasn't right. I could feel it. An eerie quiet fell upon my house and I nudged the door open, gazing inside. I had just returned home from school and usually my parents were there to greet me as I entered the house but not today. The first time in as long as I could remember they weren't here. _

"_Mom?Dad?" I called, my voice shaking with fear. My eyes searched the empty corridor and I walked slowly along it, trying to be as silent as possible in the overly quiet house._

_I froze in the door way to the living room and my breath caught in my throat as tears stung my eyes. Lying on the floor in the middle of the room were my parents, limp and lifeless as their dead eyes stared at the ceiling and a white silk cloth tied around each of their necks._

"_Bella, how nice of you to join us." A sinister, deadly voice spoke from behind me and I spun around quickly. There, just in front of me, stood a tall man with light brown crew cut hair and a vicious smile on his lips. _

_I recognised him immediately. There had been many sightings and pictures of him in the news papers in the past few years. It was him, the one they called 'The Tracker'. I stumbled backwards a step, wanting to distance myself from him but not get any closer to the bodies of my parents. He lunged at me and I opened my mouth to scream…_

I jolted awake in bed as the incessant ringing of my alarm clock pierced the air and my memory haunted nightmare. I wiped my hands over my face, brushing the hair that had been stuck to my face behind my ears. I groaned and pushed myself out of bed before stumbling over to my bathroom to shower, I certainly needed it after waking up in a cold sweat.

I shuddered at the memory of my dream, of the memory itself. That was real. It had all happened so many years ago but it still brought tears to my eyes every time I thought about it. I turned on the shower, stepping under the warm water as it relaxed my tense muscles. After that dream, I knew I would be on edge for the rest of the day. That memory reminded me of my purpose in life, why I was what I was.

I stepped out of the shower, got dressed in my usual jeans and a t-shirt then walked into the kitchen to get some breakfast since yesterday's breakfast was such a disaster. I walked around the kitchen table and switched on the coffee maker that was sitting on the counter. I started humming to myself as I reached up to get a cup out of the cupboard above the coffee machine and got the milk out of the fridge.

I poured the coffee into the cup when it was ready, added the milk then returned it to the fridge and set the cup down on the counter, waiting for it to cool a little. I froze when I heard the squeak of a floor board behind me, the one near the door that always makes a noise when you step on it. A moment later I heard another footstep directly behind me. I spun around, grabbing the persons arm, bending it behind them and pinning them on the table with one hand holding their wrist and the other in the middle of their shoulder blades.

My chest was rising and falling heavily as I breathed and took a good look at the person who I had heard behind me. He was male, tall, muscled with familiar curly brown hair. I let out a sigh and released him walking back over to the counter where I left my coffee, acting as if nothing had happened.

"You know, Emmett, it's not a good idea to sneak up on an unsuspecting woman." I said nonchalantly as I picked up my coffee and turned to face him, leaning against the counter as I raised an eyebrow at him, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

"I'll try to remember that one." He rolled his eyes but gave me a grin and Rosalie was right; he did have dimples. I smirked at him as he rubbed the arm I had bent backwards, trying to act as if it didn't hurt him. Men. "But, holy shit, where the hell did you learn that?" He asked, looking rather surprised that I had managed to pin him, a man who must be about a foot taller and a heck of a lot stronger, all because I had the element of surprise.

"Rose taught me." I shrugged and took a sip of my coffee. I didn't feel threatened by him or suspicious like I did most of Rose's men friends, or most people in general actually. Emmett had an air about him that made you feel comfortable around him and I knew Rose must like him a lot if she invited him back to our house. I think he was the first man she had ever done that to. Yep, she was smitten with him.

"Rose taught you that? Wow…" He trailed off and a smile fell upon his face. Something told me that I really didn't want to know what he was thinking. "Oh, hey, we didn't really get introduced properly last night. I'm Emmett McCarty." He said as he held his hand out towards me.

"I'm Bella Swan. It's nice to meet you, naked guy." I grinned then scrunched my face up. "Seriously, though, I'm going to have nightmares after seeing that."

He laughed and shook his head. "Face it, Bells. You're just jealous."

I rolled my eyes at him and continued drinking my coffee. "What are you doing up this early anyway?" I asked, looking at him curiously.

"Unfortunately, I've got to go to work." He frowned and shrugged slightly. "I was going to make some breakfast for me and Rosie before you jumped me." He said playfully.

A smile spread across my face as I picked up on his nick name for Rose. She didn't let just anyone called her Rosie. In fact, usually, she hated that nick name so she must really like him if she let him call her that. "Rosie, huh?" I asked him with a sly smile.

A light blush heated up his cheeks but he shrugged at me. "What about her?" He asked, and I had to admire how he ignored his slight embarrassment and continued the conversation. If it was me I would have been extremely flustered.

"You like her don't you?" I asked softly with a teasing edge to my voice.

"Of course I do. What's not to like?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "No, I mean you _like_ her." I urged but continued when he didn't respond. "Emmett, if you like Rose and I mean really like her then I couldn't be happier for you two but don't do anything to hurt her, I'm warning you, she'll turn around and stab you in the back." _Literally_. I added mentally. I honestly liked him, he seemed a perfect match for Rose and I didn't want either of them to get hurt.

"Don't worry Bella. I won't hurt her." He said softly with a small smile.

"Good." I smiled and finished my coffee before glancing at my watch. "Oh, I've got to go now. I'll see you later if you're still here." I picked up a blueberry muffin for my breakfast and walked to the front door, stopping at my bedroom to pick up my bag.

Just as I reached the front door I heard footsteps at the top of the stairs and turned around to see Rose; dressed in her bathrobe that was hanging off one shoulder, her hair sticking up in all directions as she rubbed one of her eyes sleepily. She looked so young and vulnerable just then, like a child that had just awoken from a bad dream.

"Emmett?" She called out sleepily but I could detect something else in her voice; worry? Fear, maybe? But I couldn't be sure. Probably because I had never seen Rose like this. She usually acted strong and fierce and never held the vulnerability she had now.

"I'm here, Rosie. I was going to make breakfast before your friend attacked me." Emmett said as he emerged from the kitchen, giving me a small smile then turning to look up at Rose.

Her face lit up as soon as she saw him as did his and I knew, right then, that they felt more for each other than they had let on. It was plain to see the love, not lust, for each other in their eyes. They just stood there, gazing into each others eyes and it was so intimate a moment that I felt I was intruding. I slipped out the door and shut it behind me, walking down the steps in front of the house and along the street.

I walked to the end of the street, marvelling to myself that I hadn't fallen once, or even stumbled, like I usually do, when I felt someone grab my wrist. It stunned me that I hadn't heard anyone, blaming myself for being too wrapped up in my thoughts. Usually, I would have just pulled my arm away or looked at them casually, knowing I could protect myself against whatever they tried. But not today, no, that dream, that nightmare, I had had put me on edge, making me jumpy and more irrational than usual.

I twisted the person's arm with the hand they were holding and grabbed my container of pepper spray from my belt. At night I had my knives secured in this belt but during the day, when there was a risk of someone seeing them, I had my spray can of pepper spray. I still felt the need for a weapon to protect myself.

I lifted the can so it was level with the person's face and I finally took in their appearance. I wasn't sure weather to be relieved or more nervous when I recognised him.

"I wish people would quit sneaking up on me." I muttered my annoyance clear in my voice. "What do you want, Edward?" I asked, a bit harsher than I had meant but really, what do you expect? Am I not allowed to be a bit annoyed after he tried to kill me just a few hours ago?

He raised his eyebrow questioningly at my first statement and an amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips, although I noticed he winced slightly when I twisted his arm a little more. Hey, I'm in a bad mood with him and he's being infuriating.

"Well, I would appreciate it if you let go of my arm before you break it off and lower the pepper spray?" He asked as he eyed the canister that I still had aimed at his face. I reluctantly let go of his arm and put my can back in my belt. "I was actually wondering if you wanted to walk to work with me?" He asked a little nervously.

I looked at him doubtfully; how could I be sure he really didn't know I was the one he tried to kill last night? For all I knew he could know about me and be trying to gain my trust. But I did need to get closer to him so I would get information out of him about 'The Tracker'.

"Alright." I nodded and began walking along the road to work. I still hadn't thought of exactly how to get the information out of him but I guess I could think about that later. First, I had to gain his trust. "So, do you live near here or are you just stalking me?" I asked with a sly smile and looked up at him as he walked beside me. It was then that I actually noticed the mark on his forehead; the one that I had caused last night. I stopped, grabbed Edward's arm and turned him towards me, pulling his head down to my level.

"Bella, what are you doing?" He asked, looking at me curiously while I studied the mark on his forehead, gently tracing my fingers over the bump which had been mostly hidden by his fringe. I felt his warm breath flood over my face and realised how close I had brought him to me, only a few inches space between us.

"Are you all right? Does it hurt?" I asked, glancing down at his eyes before looking back at the mark. I knew if I stared at his eyes for too long I wouldn't be able to control myself. He really was too good-looking for his own good.

"No." He said quickly, too quickly. And he winced when I probed the mark gently again.

"It's not very nice to lie to me, Edward." I said with a small smile. _Maybe I could guilt him into admitting something._

"I'm fine, Bella." He said as he straightened up, rolling his eyes at me. _Or maybe not_.

I shrugged and started walking again. Strangely, I was still comfortable in his presence, even if he had tried to kill me. It unnerved me, especially since I was already jumpy today.

We walked most of the journey in comfortable silence, talking occasionally about most things, usually likes and dislikes. I hadn't noticed how much time had passed until we reached work and went to the lifts, arriving right on time. The elevator doors opened on Alice's floor and she stepped in, jumping to hug me when she saw me.

"Morning, Bella." She said happily and I raised my eye brow at her. She looked ready to burst with excitement, more so than she usually did. She glanced at Edward who was standing beside me and her smile widened. Ah, so that's what this is about. She seemed happier to see me standing so closely beside a gorgeous man like Edward than seeing me alive after she told me of her dream-like-vision.

"Hi, I'm Alice. You must be, Edward, the new photographer, right?" She asked sticking her small hand out towards him.

Edward chuckled and nodded. "Yes, it's nice to meet you." He said as he shook her hand.

Alice grinned and turned back to me. "Oh, Bella, I almost forgot; Carlisle wants to see you in his office. I think it's something about an article for you to write." She said just as the doors opened and stepped out. "This is my stop. I'll see you later Bella. Bye Edward." She waved before the doors shut behind her.

Carlisle was the editor and chief of the magazine I worked for; Twilight (**A/N: original, I know :D**). He was a little older than me, maybe early thirties, with blond hair and dark brown eyes. Most women in the building lusted after him but I just found that weird. True, he was insanely good-looking but he was more of a friend to me than anything else. He had also been married to an interior designer, Esme, for near of a decade.

I got out of the elevator at my floor and gave Edward a quick wave. No matter what, I couldn't seem to find it in myself to be mad at him. Stupid feelings.

I walked directly to Carlisle's office and knocked on the door. I might as well see what article he wanted me to write now so I could get started on the research for it. I opened the door and walked in when I heard Carlisle say 'come in' from inside.

"Good morning, Bella. Take a seat." He said, smiling warmly at me and gestured to a chair in front of his desk as I entered the room. "I actually just wanted to tell you that there's an article I wanted you to write. It's on the opening of the new theatre; "Midnight Sun"."

"Isn't that opening tonight?"

"I know its short notice but the original reporter fell ill and has been off all week. Bella, I have every confidence in you to write it, you certainly are a skilled reporter." He said, smiling softly.

I felt a light blush heating up my cheeks at the compliment and returned his smile. I didn't have anything to do tonight, especially after the little mishap last night I decided it was better not to have any more missions while there is a possibility of me being followed, and I'll get extra pay for it, even if I only have a short time to write it. I figured that I could research the opening today and write the part of the article on the back ground of the theatre then write the rest tomorrow. It would work out perfectly.

"Alright, I'd better get started then." I said as I stood to leave and walked towards the door of the office.

"Thank you Bella. There will be a photographer going with you as well and the performance at the theatre starts at seven." He said as I exited the room and walked along the corridor to my office.

---------------------------------------

About two hours after I got to work I was busy researching the opening of Midnight Sun and making notes to use later when I would write the article. I heard a soft knock at my door and looked up to see Edward leaning casually against the door frame with a crooked grin on his face.

The small hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as the memories of last night flashed through my mind and a sense of unease flooded through me. As I watched him standing there, looking perfectly at ease I couldn't help but notice how dangerous he looked. Maybe it was just the fact that I knew what he was capable of. How he killed people for a living and then could look as normal as he did now. But, I suppose, that's exactly how I was.

Even through my discomfort of him I felt a warmth spread through me that I hadn't experienced since I was sixteen, twelve years ago. Every time I saw him my heart would beat a little faster, any troubles I may have been experiencing would disappear and a smile automatically lit my face. I knew what was happening to me. I had felt it before. I was falling in love. But how could I? This gorgeous, normal looking man in front of me had tried to kill me. He was sided with the man who I wanted to kill, to avenge my parents and my fiancé.

But I knew from experience that not everybody was as they seemed. Some people manage to live their lives with dark secrets hidden just beneath the surface. I was one of those people. And Edward was another. The trick was to figure out if the part of him that I was falling in love with was real, if it wasn't all an act. That would be beyond difficult.

"Working hard?" Edward asked with the grin still in place as he approached my desk. He turned the chair sitting in front of my desk backwards and straddled it, leaning his arm on the back of the chair as he kept his intense green-eyed gaze focused on me. "I brought you something." His grin widened as he spoke and I saw a glint of something in his eyes. I wasn't sure exactly what it was; excitement? No, glee and a slight bitterness. I dropped my gaze to the desk where he had placed an envelope in front of me.

I gave him a questioning look as I began to open it. "I got those photos for Alice's article developed." He said as he took the photographs from my hands and his fingers brushed against mine, causing them to tingle. He sorted through them and placed the right ones in front of me, my eyes scanning the photos quickly. I had to admit, he was a very talented photographer. The colours were bright and vibrant, the lighting was perfect and the pictures were overall amazing.

"Wow, these are brilliant." I said softly as I looked at them in awe.

"I also picked up these ones for the other couple of articles and…" He placed the photographs in front of me as he spoke then paused as his grin widened. "I got you something extra." He said as he placed a single photo in front of me.

I had to hold in a gasp and carefully composed my expression when I laid my eyes on the picture in front of me. It was very dark, obviously taken at night, so it was hard to make out the background but the main figure in it was clear, cast in the soft light of a street lamp; me, dressed in black with my dark cloak flowing around me. It must have been taken last night when Edward followed me but I have no idea how he managed to take a photo of me without my knowing.

"Well?" Edward asked softly as he studied my expression. I was still in shock, staring at the photo with my mouth slightly agape. "The first actual photograph of 'The Angel of Death'." He said, the excitement clear in his voice. I understood the look in his eyes now; he was wanting revenge on me. Because I had managed to escape him last night and not allow him to finish the job of killing me, well, who he thought was Marie Black.

"Bella?" He asked softly and I broke from my thoughts, lifting my head to look at him.

"How…how…" I stuttered, still awed at how he had managed to photograph me. I had spent years without anyone getting a trace of who I really was but now, as soon as Edward turns up, he manages to get the first piece of solid proof against me.

"I followed her." He said with a slight smile and I thanked the heavens that he had mistaken my incoherent questioning, instead of realising that I was actually asking how he had followed me and taken a picture without my knowledge.

"Her?" I picked up on that. No one knew that the 'Angel of Death', Marie Black, _me_, was actually female. And I hoped to distract him slightly, possibly find out more information about him.

"Well, the size and figure would indicate that it's a woman." He said, completely unfazed. "Petite, slight build." He shrugged. "Of course, there nothing to say that it could be a man but, logically, I think it's more likely to be a woman."

"Well, um, thank you for bringing these up to me, Edward." I said, still slightly flustered by his picture. I needed time to think and to do that he would have to leave me alone with my thoughts.

"You're welcome." He said as he stood up and righted the chair. "I'll see you tonight, Bella."

"Tonight?" I scrunched my brow in confusion and he grinned at me. Again.

"I'm the photographer who is going to be going with you to the opening of the theatre tonight." He explained and began walking towards the door, leaving me shocked once more. "I'll pick you up at six, ok?" He asked just before he left the room, standing in the doorway and looking back at me.

I nodded numbly as he smiled and disappeared out of my office. I felt excitement brewing in me but also nervousness. What if I accidentally revealed who I am to him? I would be alone with him for a whole night and what if he knew that I, Bella Swan, was also Marie Black but was just pretending to be oblivious?

Through all my muddled up thoughts, one was more prominent than the rest. _What the hell was I going to do now? _

_**A/N:**__** I hope it wasn't too confusing at some parts…and you get a look into Bella's past…well, part of it. Can anybody guess who 'The Tracker' is? It's really obvious…**_

_**Originally I wasn't planning to have Carlisle and Esme in this story but I couldn't resist although I don't think I'll mention them much in future chapters…**_

_**Thanks for reading! Please review!**_


	5. important

IMPORTANT!

I'm sorry if you guys thought this was an update and I honestly hate authors notes like this myself but this is the first time I've done this and I didn't want to have you waiting without knowing why I wasn't updating.

Anyway, I have my exams in a couple of weeks and five projects I need to get done in two weeks time each at 3000 words each so, as you can imagine, I'm pretty swamped.

I know I'm just giving excuses and everything but it is essential for me to pass my exams this year if I want to go to University and right now that's my number one priority.

So, I won't be updating for a couple of weeks but I will be trying to work on chapters for all my stories and as soon as my exams are over I will **update every story** with **at least** one chapter.

Again, sorry but I know I'll get distracted from my school work if I try and write chapters for my stories. I think the only story I will manage to update over the next few weeks is my new one **"Gone but not forgotten"** because I have already written a couple of chapters for that and I'm just waiting for a good enough response to post the next chapter.

So, if you want you can go read that or check out any of my other stories if you get bored and really desperate (which I certainly doubt).

I also have a poll on my profile and I'd really appreciate it if you vote.

Thanks everyone! I loved you all! :D

Sophia x


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